Antipope Novatian
Encyclopedia
Novatian was a scholar, priest, theologian and antipope
who held the title between 251 and 258. According to Greek authors, pope Damasus I
and Prudentius
gave his name as Novatus.
He was a noted theologian
and writer, the first Roman theologian who used the Latin language, at a time when there was much debate about how to deal with Christian
s who had lapsed and wished to return, and the issue of penance
. Consecrated as pope by three bishops in 251, he adopted a more rigorous position than the established Pope Cornelius
. Novatian was shortly afterwards excommunicated: the schismatic
church which he established persisted for several centuries (see Novatianism
). Novatian fled during a period of persecutions, and may have been a martyr
.
philosophy and been educated in literary composition.
Pope Cornelius
, in a letter to Fabius of Antioch
, states that a catechumen
called Novatian was possessed by Satan for a whole season. He was exorcised but became so ill after the rite that he expected to soon die, and so his baptism was brought forward. When he recovered, he was not given the rest of the sacraments and the bishop would not confirm him. He thus asked Cornelius "How, then, can I receive the Holy Spirit?".
For his profound learning Cornelius sarcastically defined him as "that creator of dogmas, that champion of ecclesiastical culture", though his eloquence impressed Saint Cyprian of Carthage (Letter LX, 3) and a pope (probably pope Fabianus) made him a priest. Cornelius states that his priesting was not welcomed by the clergy or the laity, who held that one who had been baptised only at the point of death could not become a priest. The story told by Eulogius, bishop of Alexandria
, in which Novatian was an archdeacon of Rome consecrated a priest by the pope to oversee the papal succession, is contradicted by Cornelius and is based on a later state of affairs in which Roman deacons were statesmen rather than religious ministers.
On 20 January 250, during the Decian Persecution, pope Fabian was martyred and the persecution was so fierce that it proved impossible to elect a successor, with the papal seat remaining vacant for a year. During this period the church was governed by several priests, including Novatian. In a letter the following year, Cornelius speaks of his rival whose cowardice and love of his own life made him deny to the persecutors that he was a priest and refuse to comfort his brothers in danger. The deacons urged him to come out of hiding but he told them that he was in love with another philosophy and thus did not want to be a priest any longer. The story's significance is unclear - Novatian may have been avoiding being an active priest to dedicate himself to an ascetic lifestyle. In any case, it must be borne in mind that the main source for Novatian is Pope Cornelius, who had made reasons to attack his enemy and antagonist. The anonymous work Ad Novatianum (XIII) states that "[Novatian], while he was in the Church of Christ, considered his neighbours' sins to be his own, eased his brothers' burdens, as exhorted by the Apostle, and fortified with consolation those whose faith was shaken".
Novatian definitely wrote letters during the persecution in the name of the Roman clergy which later passed to Saint Cyprian (Letters XXX and XXXVI). These letters look at the question of those who had lapsed from the faith and the Carthaginians' demands that they all be allowed back into the church without penance. The Roman clergy agreed with Cyprian that the question had to be treated with moderation and balance by a council at the earliest possible opportunity, after the election of a new bishop. In any case, they held, they had to maintain the just church discipline that had marked the Roman church since the time of Saint Paul (Letter to the Romans 1:8), without being cruel to those who were penitent. These letters use strong expressions but show that the Roman clergy did not think the re-admission of lapsed Christians to communion was entirely impossible.
In March 251, with the emperor Decius
's death, the persecution began to subside and the Roman community seized the opportunity to nominate a successor to Fabian. With the consent of almost all the clergy, the people and the bishops presented (Cyprian, Letter LV, 8-9) the Roman aristocrat and moderate Cornelius and he was elected. Novatian had hoped to be elected and accused Cornelius of foul play. He then summoned three bishops from the remote corners of Italy to come to Rome as fast as possible, along with the other bishops, to mediate on an internal division. These simple men were forced to make Novatian a bishop at 10 am. One of these bishops, however, returned to the church to confess his sin and Cornelius states "we sent replacements for the other two bishops to the places from which they came". To ensure his supporters' loyalty Novatian forced them to swear on the consecrated bread and wine at Holy Communion that they would not go back over to Cornelius. According to Saint Hippolytus of Rome (considered by some to be Novatian's teacher), Novatian thus became Christianity's second ever antipope.
Cornelius and Novatian rushed their messengers out to the churches to announce their elections. Saint Cyprian's correspondence tells of an accurate investigation carried out at the end of the Council of Carthage, which resulted in the whole African episcopate backing Cornelius. Even Saint Dionysius of Alexandria sided with Cornelius and with this influential support he soon consolidated his position. However, for some time the church was divided between the two competing popes. Saint Cyprian writes that Novatian "took over" (Letter LXIX, 8) and sent new apostles to many cities to get them to accept his election. Although all the provinces and all the cities held bishops of venerable age, pure faith and proven virtue, who had been proscribed during the persecution, Cyprian writes (Letter LV, 24) that Novatian dared to replace them with new bishops he had created himself.
Meanwhile, in October 251, Cornelius had called a council of 60 bishops (probably all those from Italy and the neighbouring territories) in which Novatian was excommunicated. The bishops unable to attend added their signatures to the council's closing document, which was sent to Antioch and all the other main churches. However, Novatian was aware of his intellectual superiority to Cornelius and still found supporters among Christians still in prison, such as Maximus, Urbanus and Nicostratus. Dionysius and Cyprian, however, wrote to them and convinced them to support Cornelius. At the beginning of the dispute between Novatian and Cornelius it took the form of a simple question of a schism, the argument of Cyprian's first letters about Novatian (XLIV-XLVIII, 1) centering on who was the legitimate occupant of St Peter's throne. After a couple of months this changed, with Cyprian (Letter LIV) finding it necessary to send his book De lapsis and letter LV to Rome, with the latter being the first document to speak of the "heresy of Novatian". Arguing that idolatry was an unforgivable sin and that the church had no right to readmit lapsed members to communion, he argued that the church could admit to the penitent to penitence-for-life, but only God could give forgiveness. Such a position was not completely new - Tertullian
had criticised pope Callixtus I
's introduction of pardons for adultery. Even Saint Hippolytus was inclined towards severity and laws were promulgated in many places and at various times to punished determined sinners with excommunication ending at the hour of death or even refusing them communion in the hour of death. Even St Cyprian concurred in the latter case for those who refused to repent until on their deathbed, but this was down to the fact that he felt such confessions might not be sincere. According to Cyprian, the gravity of this position was not in its cruelty or injustice, but in the negation of the church's power in such cases to give absolution. Novatian's heresy was thus to refuse the baptismal question "Do you believe in the reimisison of sins and in the life eternal, through the Holy Church?".
Novatian died in 258, probably during Valerian
's persecutions, in the same year as his great opponent Cyprian.
Antipope
An antipope is a person who opposes a legitimately elected or sitting Pope and makes a significantly accepted competing claim to be the Pope, the Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic Church. At times between the 3rd and mid-15th century, antipopes were typically those supported by a...
who held the title between 251 and 258. According to Greek authors, pope Damasus I
Pope Damasus I
Pope Saint Damasus I was the bishop of Rome from 366 to 384.He was born around 305, probably near the city of Idanha-a-Velha , in what is present-day Portugal, then part of the Western Roman Empire...
and Prudentius
Prudentius
Aurelius Prudentius Clemens was a Roman Christian poet, born in the Roman province of Tarraconensis in 348. He probably died in Spain, as well, some time after 405, possibly around 413...
gave his name as Novatus.
He was a noted theologian
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and writer, the first Roman theologian who used the Latin language, at a time when there was much debate about how to deal with Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s who had lapsed and wished to return, and the issue of penance
Penance
Penance is repentance of sins as well as the proper name of the Roman Catholic, Orthodox Christian, and Anglican Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation/Confession. It also plays a part in non-sacramental confession among Lutherans and other Protestants...
. Consecrated as pope by three bishops in 251, he adopted a more rigorous position than the established Pope Cornelius
Pope Cornelius
Pope Saint Cornelius was pope from his election on 6 or 13 March 251 to his martyrdom in June 253.- Christian persecution :Emperor Decius, who ruled from 249 to 251 AD, persecuted Christians in the Roman Empire rather sporadically and locally, but starting January in the year 250, he ordered all...
. Novatian was shortly afterwards excommunicated: the schismatic
Schism (religion)
A schism , from Greek σχίσμα, skhísma , is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization or movement religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a break of communion between two sections of Christianity that were previously a single body, or to a division within...
church which he established persisted for several centuries (see Novatianism
Novatianism
The Novatianists were early Christians following Antipope Novatian, held a strict view that refused readmission to communion of Lapsi, those baptized Christians who had denied their faith or performed the formalities of a ritual sacrifice to the pagan gods, under the pressures of the persecution...
). Novatian fled during a period of persecutions, and may have been a martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
.
Life
Few details are known as to his life. He was the first convert to Christianity to have studied StoicSTOIC
STOIC was a variant of Forth.It started out at the MIT and Harvard Biomedical Engineering Centre in Boston, and was written in the mid 1970s by Jonathan Sachs...
philosophy and been educated in literary composition.
Pope Cornelius
Pope Cornelius
Pope Saint Cornelius was pope from his election on 6 or 13 March 251 to his martyrdom in June 253.- Christian persecution :Emperor Decius, who ruled from 249 to 251 AD, persecuted Christians in the Roman Empire rather sporadically and locally, but starting January in the year 250, he ordered all...
, in a letter to Fabius of Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
, states that a catechumen
Catechumen
In ecclesiology, a catechumen , “‘down’” + ἠχή , “‘sound’”) is one receiving instruction from a catechist in the principles of the Christian religion with a view to baptism...
called Novatian was possessed by Satan for a whole season. He was exorcised but became so ill after the rite that he expected to soon die, and so his baptism was brought forward. When he recovered, he was not given the rest of the sacraments and the bishop would not confirm him. He thus asked Cornelius "How, then, can I receive the Holy Spirit?".
For his profound learning Cornelius sarcastically defined him as "that creator of dogmas, that champion of ecclesiastical culture", though his eloquence impressed Saint Cyprian of Carthage (Letter LX, 3) and a pope (probably pope Fabianus) made him a priest. Cornelius states that his priesting was not welcomed by the clergy or the laity, who held that one who had been baptised only at the point of death could not become a priest. The story told by Eulogius, bishop of Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, in which Novatian was an archdeacon of Rome consecrated a priest by the pope to oversee the papal succession, is contradicted by Cornelius and is based on a later state of affairs in which Roman deacons were statesmen rather than religious ministers.
On 20 January 250, during the Decian Persecution, pope Fabian was martyred and the persecution was so fierce that it proved impossible to elect a successor, with the papal seat remaining vacant for a year. During this period the church was governed by several priests, including Novatian. In a letter the following year, Cornelius speaks of his rival whose cowardice and love of his own life made him deny to the persecutors that he was a priest and refuse to comfort his brothers in danger. The deacons urged him to come out of hiding but he told them that he was in love with another philosophy and thus did not want to be a priest any longer. The story's significance is unclear - Novatian may have been avoiding being an active priest to dedicate himself to an ascetic lifestyle. In any case, it must be borne in mind that the main source for Novatian is Pope Cornelius, who had made reasons to attack his enemy and antagonist. The anonymous work Ad Novatianum (XIII) states that "[Novatian], while he was in the Church of Christ, considered his neighbours' sins to be his own, eased his brothers' burdens, as exhorted by the Apostle, and fortified with consolation those whose faith was shaken".
Novatian definitely wrote letters during the persecution in the name of the Roman clergy which later passed to Saint Cyprian (Letters XXX and XXXVI). These letters look at the question of those who had lapsed from the faith and the Carthaginians' demands that they all be allowed back into the church without penance. The Roman clergy agreed with Cyprian that the question had to be treated with moderation and balance by a council at the earliest possible opportunity, after the election of a new bishop. In any case, they held, they had to maintain the just church discipline that had marked the Roman church since the time of Saint Paul (Letter to the Romans 1:8), without being cruel to those who were penitent. These letters use strong expressions but show that the Roman clergy did not think the re-admission of lapsed Christians to communion was entirely impossible.
In March 251, with the emperor Decius
Decius
Trajan Decius , was Roman Emperor from 249 to 251. In the last year of his reign, he co-ruled with his son Herennius Etruscus until they were both killed in the Battle of Abrittus.-Early life and rise to power:...
's death, the persecution began to subside and the Roman community seized the opportunity to nominate a successor to Fabian. With the consent of almost all the clergy, the people and the bishops presented (Cyprian, Letter LV, 8-9) the Roman aristocrat and moderate Cornelius and he was elected. Novatian had hoped to be elected and accused Cornelius of foul play. He then summoned three bishops from the remote corners of Italy to come to Rome as fast as possible, along with the other bishops, to mediate on an internal division. These simple men were forced to make Novatian a bishop at 10 am. One of these bishops, however, returned to the church to confess his sin and Cornelius states "we sent replacements for the other two bishops to the places from which they came". To ensure his supporters' loyalty Novatian forced them to swear on the consecrated bread and wine at Holy Communion that they would not go back over to Cornelius. According to Saint Hippolytus of Rome (considered by some to be Novatian's teacher), Novatian thus became Christianity's second ever antipope.
Cornelius and Novatian rushed their messengers out to the churches to announce their elections. Saint Cyprian's correspondence tells of an accurate investigation carried out at the end of the Council of Carthage, which resulted in the whole African episcopate backing Cornelius. Even Saint Dionysius of Alexandria sided with Cornelius and with this influential support he soon consolidated his position. However, for some time the church was divided between the two competing popes. Saint Cyprian writes that Novatian "took over" (Letter LXIX, 8) and sent new apostles to many cities to get them to accept his election. Although all the provinces and all the cities held bishops of venerable age, pure faith and proven virtue, who had been proscribed during the persecution, Cyprian writes (Letter LV, 24) that Novatian dared to replace them with new bishops he had created himself.
Meanwhile, in October 251, Cornelius had called a council of 60 bishops (probably all those from Italy and the neighbouring territories) in which Novatian was excommunicated. The bishops unable to attend added their signatures to the council's closing document, which was sent to Antioch and all the other main churches. However, Novatian was aware of his intellectual superiority to Cornelius and still found supporters among Christians still in prison, such as Maximus, Urbanus and Nicostratus. Dionysius and Cyprian, however, wrote to them and convinced them to support Cornelius. At the beginning of the dispute between Novatian and Cornelius it took the form of a simple question of a schism, the argument of Cyprian's first letters about Novatian (XLIV-XLVIII, 1) centering on who was the legitimate occupant of St Peter's throne. After a couple of months this changed, with Cyprian (Letter LIV) finding it necessary to send his book De lapsis and letter LV to Rome, with the latter being the first document to speak of the "heresy of Novatian". Arguing that idolatry was an unforgivable sin and that the church had no right to readmit lapsed members to communion, he argued that the church could admit to the penitent to penitence-for-life, but only God could give forgiveness. Such a position was not completely new - Tertullian
Tertullian
Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicised as Tertullian , was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He is the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature. He also was a notable early Christian apologist and...
had criticised pope Callixtus I
Pope Callixtus I
Pope Saint Callixtus I or Callistus I was pope from about 217 to about 222, during the reigns of the Roman Emperors Elagabalus and Alexander Severus...
's introduction of pardons for adultery. Even Saint Hippolytus was inclined towards severity and laws were promulgated in many places and at various times to punished determined sinners with excommunication ending at the hour of death or even refusing them communion in the hour of death. Even St Cyprian concurred in the latter case for those who refused to repent until on their deathbed, but this was down to the fact that he felt such confessions might not be sincere. According to Cyprian, the gravity of this position was not in its cruelty or injustice, but in the negation of the church's power in such cases to give absolution. Novatian's heresy was thus to refuse the baptismal question "Do you believe in the reimisison of sins and in the life eternal, through the Holy Church?".
Novatian died in 258, probably during Valerian
Valerian
- Botany :* Valeriana, a genus of plants* Valerian , a medicinal plant* Red valerian, a garden flower, Centranthus ruber - People :* Valerian - Botany :* Valeriana, a genus of plants* Valerian (herb), a medicinal plant* Red valerian, a garden flower, Centranthus ruber - People :* Valerian...
's persecutions, in the same year as his great opponent Cyprian.
Works
- Novatian The Trinity, The Spectacle, Jewish Foods, In Praise of Purity, Letters translated by Russell J. DeSimone Catholic University of America PressCatholic University of America PressThe Catholic University of America Press, also known as CUA Press, is the academic publishing house of the Catholic University of America. Founded on November 14, 1939, and incorporated on July 16, 1941, the Press is a founding member of the Association of American University Presses...
(1974)